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25 March, 2002Imprisoned for his trade union activities, the former president of the Korean Metal Workers' Federation, Mun Sung-hyun, has been released from detention.
REPUBLIC OF KOREA: Today (March 26), in Seoul, Mun Sung-hyun, former president of the Korean Metal Workers' Federation (KMWF), was released from prison. Mun had been sentenced to another three years in jail, but the sentence has now been suspended for one and a half years.
The IMF believes that the pressure put on the South Korean government with the IMF-coordinated campaign in favour of imprisoned South Korean trade unionists - which saw many of the IMF's affiliates participating in a joint protest action on January 22 - has played an important role in Mun Sung-hyun being set free.
Extending thanks from the IMF to all its affiliates for having helped in the promotion of international trade union solidarity on behalf of Mun, IMF General Secretary Marcello Malentacchi stated: "This is indeed a day for celebration. But we must also bear in mind that the struggle for trade union rights in South Korea is far from over."
Dan Byung-ho, president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, is still serving a two-year prison term, and approximately 50 more Korean trade unionists remain in prison.
See also the letter where KIMWF thanks for the support given through the International Metalworkers' Federation (link above left).